France is still the most popular choice for Brits wanting a quick ski holiday, whether last minute or a planned getaway, the reason for the popularity is simple, France claims to have the largest number of skiable slopes in the world and some of the best can be reached in just a few hours from the UK.
Although the Pyrenees on the French - Spanish border offers some superb slopes and great resorts, the best-known French ski resorts are to be found in the Alpine region and being closest to the UK, this is exactly where most of the skiers head.
There are about 40 ski resorts within just an hour's drive of France's Chambery airport, which is called the gateway to the Alps. The resorts include the popular destinations of Courcheval and Meribel and those prepared to drive for a further two hours are spoilt for choice, with a further 74 ski resorts to choose from, not least of which is the deservedly popular Chamonix.
Of course, you could take the ski train. Board at London's Waterloo International (or at Ashford International in Kent) to enjoy a non-stop journey, all the way to the foot of the slopes in the French Alps. Or alternatively, take advantage of an overnight coach service for your travelling to give you more time on the slopes.
Both our recommended suppliers are established holiday providers with excellent reputations. They are also ABTA and ATOL bonded, so customers can be assured that their travel arrangements and holiday money is protected and secure. However, note that ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents and ATOL, the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing schemes are both UK operated organizations and as such, scheme benefits usually only cover UK customers. As always, you must check and confirm all details with supliers before making any payments.
The picture of Morzine was photographed by Steven Griffin.
ShortBreaks are running some fantastic offers for trips to Disneyland Paris at the moment, including an exclusive Eurostar fare which gives customers even more savings; the special Eurostar fare is bookable until 18th August, 2009 and valid for arrivals during September and October.
They are also running a massive 30% Disneyland Discount, which can be combined with a "Kids under 7 stay and play free", on bookings made by 31st August, 2009 and valid for Sunday to Thursday arrivals between 31st July to 22nd October, 2009; 2 and 3 night stays only.
The "Kids Under 7 Stay and Play Free" offer runs until November, 2009 and they even have a 3 Nights for 2 or 4 Nights for 3 offer, bookable until 8th November, 2009 on travel up to 8th November, 2009.
Conditions apply to all the offers and they may not be allowed to be used in combination but they do represent some great savings, so check out the validity and confirm details with the supplier.
There can't be a better time to treat yourself to a short break at Disneyland Paris. Find out more and take full advantage of the massive savings by viewing the offers at this link.
On the edge of the fascinating Dordogne region of France, where the Dordogne river makes its escape from deep gorges and flows through an enchanting valley bordered by wooded hills, there lies the medieval town of Argentat. Nearby is Chateau de Cautine, set in 34 acres of fields and woods, complete with its own stream and a 15-metre salt-water pool. But this is not just any Chateau, it is a Chateau with a reputation for adventure.
Chateau de Cautine offer a whole range of Activity Holidays and currently they are running some great discount deals. The Chateau is a good base for walking, enjoying the area's natural world or of course fishing in one of the best fishing regions in France.
Those looking for an adrenaline buzz are spoilt for choice with activities like horse riding, cycling, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, abseiling, hang gliding; time for a deep breath, archery, tree climbing, orienteering, hiking, mountain-bike riding, bungy-trampolining and orienteering. Oh and did I mention the proximity to the nearby Massif Central mountains, for skiing and snowboarding?
The region is well known for aero-sports and an old aerodrome has been restored as a center entirely devoted to sporting activities in the air. Qualified flight instructors are on-hand for activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, microlite flying and towed flights.
Jim Hilgendorf who leads small customised group tours to this fabulous corner of France has also posted a short video which does a good job of conveying the beauty and fascination of the enchanting Dordogne valley.
Rail Europe's popular Eurostar Ski Train has kicked off another season. Tickets for departures between December 14 and January 15, 2009, are already on sale and tickets for the period from February 9 to March 6, 2009, go on sale tomorrow.
The Eurostar Ski Train runs between England's London St Pancras to Bourg Saint-Maurice in the French Alps and the new high-speed rail links mean that Alpine hubs such as Grenoble are a mere six hours from London.
There is a medieval city lying in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, not far from the site of pre-historic cave paintings, it is a great base for hiking, climbing, cycling and canoeing on the river Ariege. The city is Mirepoix and it is close to Toulouse, Carcassonne, Foix, Montsegur and Montaillou.
Brest has been on the French cyclist's map for many years before this year's Tour de France. Paris-Brest-Paris or the PBP as it is known, is reckoned to be the oldest bicycling event that is still in existence.
It was originally a 1200km bicycle race from Paris to Brest and back again but since 1931 it has become two independent long distance bicycle tours. One is called randonnée (also called Brevet) and is held every four years, while the other event is known as an audax and is held every five years. Union des Audax françaises organises the audax and the Brevet is organised by the Audax Club Parisien.
There is a ninety hour time limit for the event, and the clock runs continuously. The riders are expected to be pretty self-sufficient, buying supplies on route and many riders sleep as little as possible during the event, sometimes catching only a few minutes of sleep by the side of the road before continuing.
Wabeck has produced this compilation of video and stills, that give a good impression of the atmosphere surrounding the 2007 Paris-Brest-Paris randonnée.
The Tour de France begins again in just over one month, running from Saturday, July 5 to Sunday, July 27, the 95th Tour will start in Brest, Brittany and be made up of 21 stages, covering a total distance of 3,500 kilometres.
In 2009, the Tour de France begins on 4 July and for the first time in its history, will set out from Monaco.
Here's a short video, showing some of the more spectacular kites at last years kite festival in Berck sur Mer. Thanks to Erich Schlaikjer, who captured this footage while camping around France with his family during the 2007 Easter weekend.
Berck sur Mer, France is the site for Europe's largest kite festival. Held during April each year, it attracts kite flyers from around the world and is free to spectators. The flat sandy beach at Berck sur Mer is notably long, running into Le Touquet, the home of sand yachting or kite buggies, but the event attracts huge crowds and the sky is filled with kites of all shapes and sizes. There are demonstrations, contests, exhibitions and kite flying classes.
This year's event has been running since 5 April and finishes on Suday, so there is still time for many Europeans to get along this weekend. Berck sur Mer is just south of Boulogne sur Mer.
More information is available from the official web site but it only seems to be available in French.
Mark Beaumont, a 25-year-old man from Fife, Scotland, has broken the record for cycling round the world. He completed the trip in a staggering 195 days.
Mark Beaumont, from Fife, completed the 18,000-mile journey this afternoon, when he crossed the finish line at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris Read the full story.
Mike Robertson from Wareham, on England's south coast, has dramatically climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris to protest at the Burma operations of oil giant Total. With 18 years of climbing experience behind him, he drew gasps from onlookers as he made the rope-free assault on the famous French landmark.
Mike wanted to draw attention to human rights violations in Burma, which he learned of while planning a climbing trip there. Read more in the report by Juliette Astrup in 'This is Dorset'.
France is starting to deal with a series of open-ended strikes that are expected to paralyse public services and utilities. Beginning today, only about 12% of the high-speed TGV trains are running and there is almost no Paris metro service. Paris Opera House and Comedie Francaise State Theatre are expected to be closed, while disruption is anticipated to escalate next week when civil servants, teachers and other public employees will stage protests.
EDF electricity and GDF gas are caught up in the turmoil and even the magistrates and court clerks are planning to take to the streets. As you might expect, the French students have got involved and to cap it all, next week there will be no forecast from Meteo France weather employees.
This is bad news for Parisian hoteliers who report that over a quarter of their reservations have been cancelled already. More information and comment.
If you're in London, fancy walking or cycling to Paris? Or, of course, if your in France making the trip to England? It is proposed to build a cycle route linking Sussex to Paris in time for the 2012 Olympics.
Miles Godfrey, writing in The Argus, reports that Sussex has signed up to an agreement with the French authorities to create the 'Avenue Verte', which will enable cyclists to travel on one unbroken route from London to Paris, crossing the channel via the ferry at Newhaven.
Not only that, the route will also be available for use by walkers and horse riders, and it is expected that, with few exceptions, the 'St Paul's Cathedral to Notre Dame' route will be off-road.
Champagne is arguably the world's most glamorous sparkling wine and visitors from all over the world visit the region to discover the secrets and traditions of champagne. Reims and Epernay are the most famous towns in the region and therefore the most natural places to visit for a Champagne break. But it is worth following the 'Route Touristique du Champagne' to discover tiny towns and villages nestling in the hills, where numerous small growers produce their own champagnes. During the grape harvest in September, several vineyard owners organise grape picking days for visitors. It will usually begin with a hearty breakfast before setting to work picking the grapes, work that is rewarded with lunch, followed by a tour of the cellars and a well deserved tasting. A small charge is made for these grape picking lessons of between €30 and €50 per person.
Passengers arriving at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris can take a TGV (High Speed Train) for for a quick, 30 minute ride to the heart of the Champagne-Ardenne region.
An enormous field of black truffles has been discovered in Poland but it is rare to find them in north-east Europe. Normally they are found in Western Europe, where the season is just getting underway; they are a scarce food and sell for about 3600 Euros a kilogram.
Best known are the black truffles from Périgord in France and the white truffles from Piedmont in Italy. Each weekend in October and early November truffle hunters and merchants come and sell their products at the famous Tartufo Market in Alba. Alba is also home of an annual truffle festival which this year runs from 29 September to 11 November.
The world's largest recorded white truffle (over 2.5 kg) was found in San Miniato, which competes with Alba for the reputation of having the highest quality white truffles, and the San Miniato National White Truffle Market is held every year during the last three weeks of November.
Just when the summer season for most tourists has drawn to a close in the south of France, Montpellier, the capital of Languedoc-Roussillon will see the opening of one of Europe's largest aquariums (opening in November 2007).
But l'aquarium Mare Nostrum will provide a sensory experience as big as the 24 tanks housing 3500 fish and marine animals representing nearly 300 species from around the world. Visitors will be able to enjoy environments as different as the Mediterranean Sea and the polar oceans, the China Sea and a tropical rainforest. From the instance that they step into the reception hall, visitors will be engulfed by the sounds of the sea, the surf and call of gulls. The aquarium is at the heart of the Odysseum district, in a complex that already hosts a multiplex cinema, ice skating rink, planetarium, and restaurants.
Summer tourists to France often take the opportunity to learn more about wine and many head for the beautiful Haut-Médoc region. Every year, more than 10,000 visitors tour the winery and the cellars of Domaines Bouteiller, which is just 45 minutes from Bordeaux on the Route des Châteaux, between Cussac-Fort-Médoc and Saint-Julien.
Several educational and gourmet tours are offered, and the estate also caters for children. Another award winning attraction to be found on the estate is the superb Horse Museum, with horsedrawn carriages, a wash-house, tack room and truly luxurious stables. It is regarded as one of France's finest museums. École Internationale d'Attelage in Bordeaux will take you on a horsedrawn carriage tour of the Domaines Bouteiller vineyards and the layout of the estates, where naturally, you will be offered a tasting.
The new high-speed rail link between France and Germany opened today. It cuts travel time between Paris and the German city of Stuttgart by a third to just under four hours. Eventually, it is planned to extend the service to eastern European cities such as Budapest and Bratislava.
One of travelling's most atmospheric memories, is to stand on the footbridge linking platforms at a great European rail station like the Hauptbahnhof Munich and read the destination signs for trains heading to the far corners of the continent. Trains seem much more tangible and engaging than planes.
Sixty years and still going strong, the Cannes Film Festival opens its doors again 16 - 27 May, 2007.
They reckon its the biggest party in Europe and its certainly the most cash-rich. There is actually some doubt that this year is really the 60th anniversary but what's a year or two when your enjoying yourself? More champagne?
The Boston marathon takes place as usual, on Monday, April 16, 2007. If you are disappointed not to be registered for the event, or you fancy running a marathon but the thought of running as fast as you can with only water to sustain you, you could try the Médoc marathon, which is scheduled for Saturday 8 September, 2007. In this marathon, competitors are expected to take their time and savor the ham, beef, cheese, oysters, other good food and of course wine, of the region.
The course for the Médoc marathon reads like a wine list of the finest French wines. The route passes more than 50 chateaux and 22 are organised as refreshment stations, except that there is more than water on offer, expect to be treated to liberal quantities of the regions wines. At this marathon, they party the night before, they party during the event and then they party the following day. Spectators are not left out and everyone is expected to wear the most bizarre costumes. The winner gets their weight in the regions best wine but the Médoc is a festival, it is not about winning, and I believe that the same prize is awarded to the person who comes in last!
